Lexington will have July 4th fireworks, but no parade or festival
The city of Lexington will have fireworks on July 4th, but its annual parade and other July 4 festivities will be canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, Mayor Linda Gorton said Wednesday.
“We want to lift up our city’s spirits, celebrate our patriotism and just have fun,” Gorton said of the fireworks display. “There has been so many things we have had to say ‘no’ to in recent weeks. For fireworks on the Fourth of July, it was time to say, ‘yes.’”
For the second year in a row, R.J. Corman has agreed to allow the city to launch fireworks from its location near Main Street and the Oliver Lewis Way bridge.
Gorton encouraged people who do not live downtown to find a parking garage or parking lot from which to watch the fireworks. People should either stay in their cars or sit just outside of vehicles. Wear masks and maintain social distancing, Gorton urged at a press conference Wednesday.
Unfortunately, the city has had to cancel its other popular July 4 festivities including the parade and patriotic concerts due to restrictions on crowd sizes put in place by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bluegrass 10,000 has gone virtual. Runners can register online by July 1 for $35 at lexingtonky.gov. Run between July 1 and July 7 and enter the time online. Nearly 900 racers have already signed up, Gorton said.
Also, the city is launching a door or mailbox decorating contest. Families are encouraged to walk neighborhoods on July 4 to see all of the creations. Gorton will pick the winner of the contest.
The city’s parks and recreation department will also have different July 4 craft activities each day during the week that can be found on the parks’ artworks page.
